Hiro Fusō
Hiro Fusō (歩想朱炉 Fusou Hiro "Lit"; To Aid the Mulberry Tree, Scarlet Furnace) was once an extremely famous, later infamous, Shinigami of the primitive Gotei 13. He acted as the Third Captain of the 7th Division, and the Second Head of the illustrious Fusō Clan. Though perhaps considered an insane man, Hiro was also a man who brought the Gotei 13, and his clan, to the pinnacle of militant power thanks to his expeditions. Renowned as the Phantom Puppeteer (幻木偶使い Gendeku Tsukai), he was an extremely powerful Shinigami, who was thought to have possessed a level of power only the strongest could match. However; the enigmatic Shinigami also had an extremely dark, corrupt side to him. He was a fanatic of power, and would do anything to gain it. Thus, upon maturing, he secretely challenged his predecessor, Sai Fusō to direct combat. A match of life and death, he would unfairly gain the advantage against the Captain, killing him in cold blood. As he took the mantle of leader, he would also later reveal his greatest invention, the art of Hitokugutsu (人傀儡, Ultimate Human Puppet Technique) as well as modifying the already dangerous Kijōto (気譲渡 Essence Transfer) and mastering it to a degree none had before. With his faithful lieutenant and friend, Chisetsu Fusō near his side, Hiro ruled with an iron fist, only accepting the strongest among his confidants. Though he appeared to be a benevolent and just ruler on the outside, he would secretly conduct his experiments in a maniacal fashion, with his best friend doing nothing but watch him, in sadness or happiness, none knew. It was for these suspicions that began the orchestration of the Tragic Night, and thus causing Hiro to preserve himself and Chisetsu through his secret art. Later he would be discovered by Dōkeshi Fujiwara and Fukugi Takagi of the Jūsanseiza, and given to Fukugi as his personal Human Puppet. He would also teach the two the intricacies of Hitokugutsu, and later expand upon it through Fukugi's modern Kidō usage. Character Outline History Synopsis Powers and Abilities : An extremely powerful Shinigami by his own right, Hiro possessed a level of reiryoku beyond anything that the Gotei 13 had experienced in their second generation. As a noble Shinigami, it wasn't uncommon for the man to be in possession of high levels of spiritual power. However; the fact of the matter was, that he possessed ridiculous amounts of it, even for a nobleman. Initially very difficult to control, after the awakening and subjugation of his zanpakutō, he was capable of using it in a much more precise manner. His control over it lead to many discoveries within the art of Kugutsu no Jutsu, and lead him to preserve his own body almost indefinitely without any damage to himself, though this was still imperfect. Hiro was noted to possess a very flame-like spiritual power, with intensity that was thought to be capable of smouldering his very surroundings. Yet what truly lied within his spiritual power was its affect of subjugating everything surrounding it, making it extremely difficult for others to stand in presence of his great reiatsu when he willed it to be released. Though it was a fiery red colour, his predecessors remarked that it had slowly descended into a very purple, almost black colour by the end of his tenure as a Captain. Upon resurrection, he has shown an extreme level of power, and is remarked to even be a threat to the members of the Jūsanseiza. It was through his spiritual power that he was eventually capable of killing Sai Fusō, a remarkable feat. *'Yochūki' (世中気 Worldly Paralysis) an extremely unorthodox application of his own spiritual power. By applying its subjugation-like affect onto himself, he is then capable of using the radius of his reiatsu as a medium to allow the temporary freezing of space-time around him. Though the exact mechanics behind this freezing aren't explained, it is thought to be simply an exaggeration by Hiro's part, and that it is simply that the spiritual flow of the world has been completely inanimate. Upon doing so, Hiro can use the brief opening of a few seconds to formulate his next attack, or avoid a normally unavoidable attack. However; what should be noted is that the use of this technique requires particular focus, leaving Hiro at a disadvantage when he is constantly moving in a battle. Innovative Mindset: Gifted Inventor: Master Swordsmanship Specialist: One of the fortes of the immaculate Fusō Clan were their exceptional mastery over Zanjutsu. Thought to have contributed heavily to the overall formation of the modern Zanjutsu curriculum, Hiro was no less in his application of this form of combat. Hiro was noted to employ a rather barbaric form of combat as opposed to his predecessor's graceful combat form. He was capable of extremely fast and precise strikes and also incorporated the fundamental aspects of Hohō to supplement his power. Furthermore; due to the length and width of his blades, Hiro was forced to improvise within his swordsmanship, making his overall style particularly different from other individuals. He was noted to be extremely proficient in both defensive and offensive manoeuvre's, yet there was a single flaw within his swordsmanship. Thanks to how he fought, there was a constant instability within his stances. A highly focused blow could trample his defences, and force him to rely on another method fo combat entirely. For this reason, whenever in a desperate situation, he resorted to the use of very straightforward and powerful, (剣道 Way of the Sword), as a means to create an equilibrium between himself and his opponent. Furthermore; thanks to the plethora of abilities granted by his teachings within the Fusō Clan, it wasn't surprising that his onslaughts were accompanied with a number of puppets and other systematic beings designed to entirely eradicate his opposition. Few could fight Hiro in direct combat, and those who could, died long, long ago. Kidō Master: Kidō was a very primitive art during Hiro's time, for there was little formalized knowledge on the magical arts. What could be projected through one's spiritual power was unknown, and as such, those who practised this art were considered some of the greatest Shinigami of their time. Hiro was no exception to this. His inquisitive nature had caused him to delve into the bottom of his spiritual reserves, bringing out their full potential and cause catastrophe to the environment around him. Later; he would be personally taught by the magic that he learnt during his primitive expeditions within the spiritual world, the ones used by various Yōkai prior to the formation of as a country. Through this knowledge, Hiro was then shown capable of using it as a means to continue his research within the art of Kugutsu no Jutsu, which was particularly successful considering his revitalization of Kijōto and the invention of Hitokugutsu. It should have been noted, however, that many spells that he employed were simply applications of his power, and were unnamed at the time. Those that were named, were of his own creation. Yet centuries later, after his rebirth into the world, and teachings of modernised Kidō by his successor, Fukugi Takagi, Hiro was capable of using this knowledge to further delve into the arts of puppetry, finding an entirely fantastical revolution to the flaws of the initial technique. As well as this, he is able to competently cast spells within battle, using them to gain specific advantages whenever necessary. *' ' (一刀火葬 Cremation by a Single Blade) strangely, Hiro possesses an exceptional liking for this spell among others. Though the exact reason isn't known, it appears to be correlated with his mastery over self-regeneration, allowing him to willingly sacrifice limbs in order for the spell's power to be invoked without any consequences to himself. By absorbing surrounding spiritual power and manifesting an extremely destructive intent, Hiro sacrifices one of his limbs (usually his arm) in order to complete this ritual of self-sacrifice. Upon doing so, the said limb becomes the conduit for an enormous amount of spiritual power that consists of both his own and the environment's, creating a detonating explosion of truly tremendous power that dwarfs the height of even the Seireitei's highest tower, and can decimate an entire town in a matter of seconds. The shockwave, and aftershock produced from this technique is capable of also causing extreme destruction, causing even those who aren't within the epicentre to be affected severely. *' ' (天挺空羅 Heavenly Rickshaws in Silken Air; Viz "Heavenly Charged Sky Net") Hiro is thought to be an exceptional master over this spell, particularly with the fact that he doesn't require an elaborate ritual in order to complete it. By simply creating the paint within his mind and allowing it to form around his body, Hiro is capable of broadcasting his thoughts and words at a very large range surrounding him. Through this technique, Hiro was capable of keeping his division under check at all times, done by using one of his Puppets as the medium for his spiritual power to keep it stable. He was also capable of relaying commands swiftly and effectively with this technique. Immense Speed & Agility: It wasn't uncommon at the time for individuals to use very primitive movement forms. After all, there was no rigidity within the era where the Soul Society was protected by the Defenders, not the Gotei 13. Thus, physical power was exceedingly important within those times, something which Hiro embodied with every step. He moved carelessly and without restrain, leaving behind flickering images of himself in his wake, and was uncaring of the destruction he wrought. Yet what was most noticeable about his speed was that his movement would never stop. Constantly; Hiro would move across the field like a bee across a garden of flowers, his attacks would continuously connect and cause massive destruction in his path. His destructive movement would leave even Sai at a loss for words. Fusō Clan Techniques Kugutsu no Jutsu Hitokugutsu Zanpakutō Trivia Behind the Scenes *The concept of the Fusō Clan and related things all belong to Another Poetic Spartan. Furthermore; this was made upon him giving me permission.